Diaper Duty
by LanieSullivan
Summary: Robert Clayton was not prepared for fatherhood when his brother was killed suddenly, but he did the best he knew how for the only family member he had left. A series of one-shots to detail the relationship between uncle and nephew as they try to figure out how to deal with their mutual loss and build a relationship.
1. Mother's Day 1958

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. The plot is mine, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: Just a little one-shot idea that I had for Mother's Day. Instead of doing the typical "Amanda's such a great Mom" fic, which of course she is, I wanted to do something to show the softer side of the Colonel. In spite of his gruffness, we all know he has one or he'd never have taken Lee in when he was a child. I hope you all l like it.

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 **Bolling Air Force Base, 0900 hours, May 9, 1958**

Robert Clayton was walking up and down the two parallel rows of Airmen, inspecting each one of them, as they stood stock-still awaiting his orders when he abruptly heard his name being called from behind him.

"Major Clayton," A harried looking young man called out of breath as he hurried toward him.

"What is it," Clayton snapped. "I'm in the middle of something here!"

"I'm sorry, but it's your nephew's school. You're needed there. Th-th-there's been some trouble," the nervous man stammered.

"Thank you," Clayton said with a curt nod dismissing him. "Great," he muttered under his breath. The boy had only been at school for the day for forty-five minutes and already he was in trouble. When he heard a titter and a whisper of "diaper duty" from one of the airmen, He whipped around and demanded, "What did you say, Airman?"

"Nothing, Major," The wayward Airman replied, looking sheepishly at him.

"That's what I thought," the major said with a glower at the younger man. He then turned to another. "Senior Airman Jones, take these men through the training exercises we went over yesterday."

"Yes, Major," Jones responded.

Robert Clayton walked away shaking his head wondering, for the umpteenth time in the past ten months, if he'd made a mistake in taking in his deceased brother's boy after their mother's death. _No, it was the right thing to do,_ he argued with himself. He had a responsibility to his brother and to his mother to care for the only family member he had left. He owed it to them to look after the child, or at least to their memories.

He made arrangements with his superior to leave the base and for a ride to the school to find out what kind of trouble his young nephew was in this time. As he rode through the streets of DC, he couldn't help the wave of grief that struck him at the familiar sites whizzing by. He'd thought that requesting a transfer to Bolling so that Lee could be in a familiar place when so much was unfamiliar to him would help him to adjust better after the losses he'd suffered so young, first losing his parents, then his grandmother who'd looked after him for the two years afterward, but he'd found it difficult to adjust himself. The famed landmarks of the nation's capital merely served as a painful reminder of all that he had lost himself, his brother and sister-in-law, followed two years later by his mother.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he was at the school before he knew it. The Airman who'd driven him had had to say his name three times to get his attention. He started at hearing his name and looked toward the school building, a sense of foreboding gripping him and he couldn't help thinking how ominous the double doors looked. _Just get it over with,_ he told himself. "Thank you." He nodded the Airman. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He then exited the vehicle.

He made his way inside the school building and toward the office where he'd registered Lee for school back in September anxious to find out what was going on. Upon entering the office, he found the almost eight-year-old sitting in a chair along the wall, head hung low as he lightly kicked at the carpet with his feet. He knelt in front of him and said, "You wanna' tell me what's going on, Skip?" When Lee merely shrugged, he probed further, "They tell me that you're refusing to do your class work. You care to tell me why?"

Lee shrugged again and answered softly without looking up, "I dunno.'"

"Don't give me that, Son," Bob scolded. "There's always a reason why we do the things we do. I want to know what your reason is."

"It's stupid!" Lee blurted out. "I don't wanna' do it because I-I-I-" The boy's voice faltered as he tried to blink back the tears that had started to form, knowing that his uncle wouldn't like it if he let them fall. "It's pointless," he said barely audibly.

Clayton swallowed hard as seeing the tears in his nephew's eyes, but tried not to be taken in by it. He had a job to do. He rose, approached the receptionist at the front desk, and inquired, "What is this assignment that my nephew refused to do that has him so upset?"

"To be honest, Sir, I don't know," she replied. "I only know that his teacher, Miss Miller, sent him down here when he refused to participate in a class assignment with the rest of the class."

"I see," Clayton replied with a clenched jaw. "So, you called me about reprimanding my nephew, but don't have one clue what he's being reprimanded for?"

Under his steely gaze, the receptionist sputtered, "I-I-I I'm sorry. I only know what I was told and that I was to call you because he refused to do his class assignment and made a scene by throwing a box of crayons across the room."

"Well, I'd like to speak to this Miss Miller then," The major demanded.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. She's in class with the other students and she can't abandon them."

"Then you'll just have to direct me to her classroom and I'll speak to her there!"

"You can't do that, Sir. I can't allow you to disrupt the class when the other children are trying to work." She glanced at Lee with a slightly disdainful look.

"Then I suggest you get someone else to look after her class," Bob demanded. "I'm not leaving here until I find out what this is all about!"

"What's going on out here," A male voice questioned from the doorway of an inner office.

"What's going on here," Bob replied, "Is that I was called away from a training exercise with my men to take care of my nephew getting in trouble, but this young lady here," he nodded to the receptionist, "can't seem to tell me exactly what the trouble is."

"I apologize, Sir," the man said. He then conferred with the receptionist in a hushed tone for a moment and then turned back to Bob. "I'm Christopher Weir, the vice-principal here and I assure you that I will find out what happened," he told him in a soothing tone. "I'll get one of the teacher's aides to watch Miss Miller's class if I have to," he added just before exiting the room.

Bob turned back to his nephew, "So, before he gets back, is there anything you want to tell me?" Lee shook his head. "Come on, Son, level with me, something made you cry."

"I'm not crying," Lee denied defiantly.

Bob gave him a who-are-you-trying-to-kid look and responded, "Maybe not now, but you were. So, tell me why? Or maybe you could tell me why you threw that box of crayons."

"NO!" Lee answered loudly. "It's not fair!"

"Lee," Bob said in a warning tone. "Come on; tell me what's not fair."

"NO!" Lee shouted again. "Leave me alone!"

Clayton shook his head and let out a deep sigh wondering how he was going to continue to deal with this surly child. He hadn't been prepared for fatherhood and hadn't the foggiest idea of how to proceed with his brother's son. As he looked at the boy with his pouty, challenging facial expressions, he couldn't help but be reminded of Matthew in their younger years when they used to squabble the way that brothers do. Lee was growing to resemble him more every day, not just in his looks, but in his personality as well. Another wave of grief washed over him as he thought of the day that he'd laid his brother to rest, the twin coffins draped with American flags side by side as a minister had spouted meaningless words about them being in the arms of God and moving on to a better place. The memories were still fresh in his mind as was the hurt caused by Matt and Jennie's deaths. Had it really been almost three years since that day?

His thoughts were interrupted by a lilting female voice, "Mr. Stetson?"

He turned to find himself facing a twenty-something brunette with an obviously phony smile pasted on her face along with the vice-principal. "First of all, it's Clayton," Bob replied coolly. "And it's Major, not Mister." He'd worked hard to attain that rank and had just finished the training required to take on the supervisory position six months ago. He didn't appreciate her making him look soft in front of the men he now supervised. "Now, what is so damned important that it couldn't wait until the end of the school day?"

"Well, Major Clayton," she began. "I'm afraid that Lee here has refused to participate in a class assignment-"

"So, I've been told," Bob interrupted. "What I want to know is, what is this assignment?" He nodded toward Lee. "Whatever it is has upset him, so there must be a valid reason that he's refusing to do it."

The teacher looked to the vice-principal who nodded for her to continue. "It's an art project...for Mother's Day," she explained. "The children were assigned to create hand-made-"

Bob held up a hand to stop her. "Enough!' He gaped at the young teacher incredulously. "Do you people understand this boy's circumstances?"

"I-I-I don't know what you mean?"

"I mean..." Bob said menacingly, "that I'm the only family this child has. It's no wonder he was upset by your assignment. How can you ask an orphaned child to create something for Mother's Day when he doesn't have a mother to give it to?"

"I-I-I I'm sorry. I-I-I didn't know," She sputtered, "But I have to be fair to all the children and I'm afraid that if he doesn't complete the assignment, I'll have to give him a zero for the day, which wouldn't help his overall grade."

"Woman, do you have any compassion in your heart whatsoever," Bob bellowed, his eyes flaring in anger at her insensitive treatment of his only living relative, a child who'd already been through more hell than most adults could handle.

"Miss Miller," The vice-principal said gently. "Perhaps, given his situation, you could find some other project for Lee to work on."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't feel that would be fair to the other children," she answered.

"How is this type of assignment fair to him?" Bob retorted.

"You're right," Miss Miller concurred. "It's not, but I can't let him sit idly and not do something while all the other children are working."

"There must be some kind of compromise that can be worked ou-" He broke off as a thought occurred to him. "Would you mind giving me a moment alone with my nephew?"

The vice-principal and the teacher looked at one another and Mr. Weir answered, "I don't see why not. That is why you were called down here, after all."

Bob reached for his nephew's hand and said, "Come on, Skip, let's take a walk.

As they stepped outside the building, he proposed his idea to his young charge whose eyes lit up. "Can we really do that?" he asked his guardian.

"I don't see why not," Bob replied. "We should have done it a long time ago when we first moved here, but listen, you have to promise me not to get into any more trouble and do just what you're told the rest of the day. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Sir," Lee answered gleefully.

"Good. Now, you run on back to class and I'll talk to your teacher." He sighed again as he watched Lee run off and he made his way back to the office. "All right, he'll do the assignment," Bob said plainly, "but I want it known that I disapprove of the insensitivity that's been shown to my nephew. That child has suffered a profound loss and to make him relive it is just cruel. I plan to have a word with the school board regarding this." Without giving them a chance to respond, he turned on his heel and walked away.

 **Arlington National Cemetery, 1200 hours, May 11, 1958**

Robert walked through row after row of headstones, a bouquet of flowers in one hand, his nephew clinging tightly to his other until they reached their destination. "Here we are, Skip," He said softly to Lee.

Bob released his nephew's hand as he knelt before the grave markers, brushed away loose bits of grass from the front of Jennie's and placed the flowers at the base of it. He nodded toward Lee and the handmade contraction paper card in his hand. "Go on, Son."

Lee knelt beside his uncle, perused his handiwork for a moment before placing it with the flowers. "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" Lee whispered reverently. "I miss you."

Bob swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he glanced at his nephew's creation. He'd drawn a representation of his mother as an angel complete with harp and a halo covered in gold glitter.

Lee looked up at his uncle and asked hesitantly, "D-d-do you think she'll see it from heaven?"

"Yes, Lee, I believe she will," Bob answered as he ruffled his hair affectionately, "And I think she'll love it!" He turned back to gaze at the engraved names with a reverent look on his face.

The pair stayed there quietly, each lost in their own thoughts as they stared at the pair of headstones. Lee slipped his small hand into his larger one and said softly, "Thank you, Uncle Bob."

Bob smiled slightly, but didn't look around, as he didn't want his nephew to see the tears that had begun to form in his eyes. He simply said, "You're welcome," and squeezed his hand.


	2. Father's Day 1958

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. The plot is mine, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This is the second installment of "Diaper Duty." I plan to do a few more of these outlining some of Lee's life growing up with his uncle, but each chapter will be able to stand by itself.

 **Bolling Air Force Base, 0900 Hours, June 13, 1958,**

Robert Clayton was once again walking up and down the two parallel rows of Airmen, inspecting each one of them, as they stood stock-still awaiting his orders. The scene was familiar to him, having played it many times since earning his promotion. This one, however, was different as he was just a bit stiffer, a bit tenser as he was waiting for the phone call that was sure to come, as it had not quite a month ago. His lonely, orphaned nephew had been reprimanded for his refusal to participate in a Mother's Day project, a perfectly logical refusal in Bob's mind since he didn't have a mother any longer. A deep pang of sadness gripped him at that thought, as Jennie had been a lovely woman with whom his brother had fallen deeply in love. They'd both fallen equally in love with their son from the moment he'd been born to them nearly eight years ago.

He shook off those nagging thoughts and tried to focus on the task at hand, but he couldn't help his mind drifting back to that day in May. He'd fought on his nephew's behalf, not only at the school, but with the brass at the school board as well, all to no avail. The board refused to acknowledge that there was any wrongdoing on the part of the teacher, Miss Miller, who had clearly displayed that she had all the sensitivity of a brick wall. They'd refused to allow Lee to change classes since the school year was almost over. He was at least grateful for that since that meant the child would no longer be harassed by an unfeeling teacher; however, he was beginning to rethink his request to transfer to Bolling in the first place. He'd thought it was a good idea so that young Lee would be surrounded by familiar places. Now, though, he'd come to believe that there was too much familiarity as it seemed that his nephew was only grieving more profusely than he had previously.

He planned to take care of that soon after Lee was out of school for the year. He'd already requested and been approved for another transfer starting in late July. They'd be packing up and moving before the summer was out, giving them plenty of time to become acclimated to their new location and for him to register Lee at his new school. Before any of that though, he had a lot to do. Lee's birthday was on Tuesday and his CO's wife had helped him to plan a birthday party at the park with all of his little friends for tomorrow. He hoped that having a celebration for his eighth birthday would help to take his charge's mind off the idea of spending Father's Day the next day without his father.

His other charges were still looking at him quizzically as they waited to be told what to do. He realized at that point that he'd just made his fourth pass through the ranks and the call still hadn't come so he decided to just proceed as if it were any other normal workday in the life of a career military man. "Alright, Men!" He began.

That evening in the mess hall, his curiosity got the better of him when sitting across from his young nephew who didn't seem to be as morose as he had been when Mother's Day had been approaching. "So, Skip, how did everything go at school today?"

"Great!" Lee answered with an enthusiastic smile. "All my best friends are coming to my party tomorrow," he gushed. He then blushed and added shyly, "Even Alice is coming.

"Good," Bob smiled at his nephew's slight embarrassment. He'd known for some time that Lee had a bit of a crush on Alice. He had a feeling that his charge would be a huge ladies' man one of these days, much like his father before being tamed by Jennie Hamilton. "That's good, Son. I'm glad to hear it." While he was smiling on the outside for his nephew's benefit, a moment of panic set in and he was once again second-guessing himself, wondering if moving again were the right decision. Lee was so happy that his friends and his little girlfriend were coming to his party, but how happy would he be to be moved miles away from them?

He shook that thought off and argued with himself that he'd been raised in a military family who'd moved on a regular basis and he turned out just fine. _But you weren't orphaned,_ another voice in his head argued. _I did lose my father,_ he argued back. _You still had your mother though and a stepfather who loved you as his own,_ the other voice countered. _And Lee has me,_ he thought as he firmly quashed the condescending voice. "So, did you learn anything new in school today?" He asked Lee wondering if the unsympathetic teacher had tried the same crap that she had last month.

Lee just shrugged and said, "It was no big deal. Just another day at school, doing school stuff."

Bob looked at his nephew a bit worriedly. While he spoke so nonchalantly about his day at school, he sensed something beneath the surface of that devil-may-care exterior, one that reminded him painfully of Matthew when he'd be on one of his spy missions that he couldn't talk about. He'd give clipped answers just like that and Bob knew then not to ask any more questions. Lee, however, was not a career spy as he parents had been and he hoped to God he never would be. The boy had asked him many questions about how his parents had died and he'd simply told him the cover story that he'd been given by the US Army. Of course, having a bit of pull in military channels, he knew that that was all it was, a cover story. He'd had half a mind to do some investigating on his own, but with being transferred all over the place, dealing with his mother's death and taking on the role of surrogate father to his brother's child, he just hadn't had the time.

"So, what kind of school stuff," Bob probed.

Lee just looked down at the dinner tray and showed a sudden overwhelming interest in his lumpy mashed potatoes. "I dunno," Lee answered noncommittally and stuffed his mouth full as an attempt to avoid answering his uncle's questions.

"Huh," Bob muttered turning his attention back to his own dinner pondering the boy's mysterious behavior with a shake of his head. He kept trying to figure him out and every time he thought that he had and knew what to expect, the child did something that caused him to reevaluate her earlier assessments.

"Uncle Bob?" Lee said questioningly breaking the stalemate between them.

"Yes, Skip?"

"Thanks," Lee replied without looking up. "For letting me have a birthday party."

Bob couldn't help smiling. "You're quite welcome, Son." They finished their dinner in silence, Bob still contemplating the constant contradiction that was his brother's son. He wondered if it was because the child was a Gemini, not that he believed in that kind of hooey, but he'd always heard that people born under the sign of the twins were always changing and were almost like split personalities. He couldn't help wondering if there wasn't something to that theory. After all, his nephew never ceased to surprise him.

It wasn't until the next day that he found out the reason for Lee's non-answers. He'd watched him throughout the duration of his party for any signs of the inner turmoil he'd seen in him when Mother's Day had been near, but he saw none of the same reaction. In fact, it was just the opposite; he was laughing, joking and playing with his friends. He even saw him at one point smiling devilishly at Alice, his smile so broad, it deepened the dimples that he'd inherited from his father. He didn't know what Lee had said to the girl but it had caused her to blush and reward him with a chaste kiss on the cheek. Bob couldn't help laughing when Lee himself blushed and then slugged her on the arm before hurrying off to play some touch football with the other boys.

"I think someone's got a crush," a lilting female voice said beside him.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Bob replied. "You're Alice's mother, right?"

She nodded. "And Lee's your boy?" She questioned.

"My brother's," Bob corrected, but then added quickly, "But I'm responsible for him. My brother, he's...uh..." He faltered for words for a moment, but found that none were needed when the woman laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, patting it gently.

"I'm sorry for you loss," she said sincerely. "It's hard, I know, raising a child by yourself. I lost my husband two years ago in a plane crash."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Bob replied. He nodded toward the children. "Alice seems to be doing okay. You must be doing something right. I wish that I had a clue what I'm doing with Lee."

"He seems to be doing okay too; I bet you're doing just fine."

"Sometimes I wonder. We...um...we had an incident at Mother's Day," He explained.

The woman nodded. "Alice told me about it, that Lee was upset by the class project because his mother's gone. I guess I just didn't realize that his father was too."

"Car crash," Bob answered simply. They were both silent for a beat as they watched the children at play. Bob was the first to speak again, saying hesitantly, "I...um...I hope you don't think that I'm being nosy, but their teacher, Miss Miller, did she...uh...did she give little Alice there a hard time about Father's Day the way she did with Lee about Mother's Day."

"No, I think she learned her lesson after what happened with Lee. She excused her from the assignment and gave her something else to do." She then turned back to face him and continued, "I think you calling the school board on her had a lot to do with that. She got a formal reprimand for that and now she's on some kind of probation."

"Huh," Bob replied with slight smile that his actions had had some impact after all. Perhaps that explained why Lee hadn't been upset when he'd come home from school. She must have excused him from the assignment as well.

Later than night, while tucking Lee into bed, he found that that theory was wrong. He was just about to turn out the light when Lee's small voice saying tentatively, "Uncle Bob?" stopped him.

"What is it, Son?"

Lee dug under his pillow and withdrew from beneath it a hand-made card and said, "I-I-I know it's not 'til tomorrow, but I-I-I made this in school and I didn't wanna' forget."

Bob sat at his nephew's bedside, his eyes flaring at his initial thought that Miss Miller had not indeed given Lee a reprieve from the heartless assignment. "Didn't Miss Miller excuse you from the project?"

Lee nodded. "She did...or well, she tried, but I-" he sighed and then thrust the card at his uncle. "I wanted to do this one."

"I don't understand," Bob said looking at his nephew curiously, not looking at the card he held. "You had a temper tantrum and threw crayons over the Mother's Day project because your mother's gone. I'm surprised you didn't do the same with this since you don't have a father either."

Lee shook his head and said, "Yes, I do." He then pointed to the card, "You."

It was then that Bob looked down at the card and saw that it was addressed to him and when he opened it, he found childish drawings of various sites around the base and the two of them together. "I-I-I don't know what to say. Thank you, Son." He ruffled his hair good-naturedly.

Lee beamed at his uncle's reaction. "Happy Father's Day, Uncle Bob."


	3. Thanksgiving 1958

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. The plot is mine, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This marks installment 3 of this saga chronicling Lee's early days of living with his uncle and how they each adapt to how that has changed their lives. This one outlines my take on their first Thanksgiving together.

 **Bainbridge Air Base, Bainbridge, GA, November 27, 1958**

Robert Clayton walked through the barracks peering into the rooms with a critical eye as was his normal habit since transferring to the Air Training Command in late July. After realizing his folly in keeping his young charge so close to so many dismal memories, reminding him of what he no longer had, he'd gone to his commanding officer requesting the earliest possible transfer. He'd been elated when this training post had come available a mere six weeks later as it worked for both of them. It would serve to give him more experience in a training position to help him further his career goals and achieve his initial goal of keeping Lee from being haunted by the memories of his dead parents everywhere they went in D.C. endlessly pining away for them. While he missed them too, he knew there was no use in dwelling on the past or in wishing for things that could never be. He needed to make Lee understand that before it was too late. Mourning and wishing would never bring Matt and Jennie back to life.

He let out a sigh as he reached the end of his rounds and began the walk back to his own quarters that his shared with his nephew. Upon entering the room, he found the boy playing with a pair of matchbox cars, one an Aston Martin, the other an MGA sports car, both of which he'd picked out himself when they'd gone shopping for his birthday in June. He'd taken him to the toy store and being no good at knowing what kids like these days, had let him pick out what he wanted. He stood in the doorway, leaned against the doorframe and with an amused smile, watched the eight-year-old on his knees taking the toy cars on a high speed chase across the floor, making "vroom, vroom" sounds as he did so. He clamped his mouth shut tight as he tried not to laugh when the Aston Martin went spinning out of control and under Lee's bunk.

What happened next caused his amusement to quickly fade. Instead of retrieving the car, Lee dug into his toy box for a handmade replica of Superman, one that his little girlfriend, Alice had made for him after he'd beat off a pack of boys who'd been picking on her, telling the young man that he'd been _her_ Superman. It was really nothing more than your typical ragdoll with a cape sewn on, but it had meant the world to Lee. Well, that and the kiss she'd bestowed upon him for his bravery. As he watched a bit longer, he became distressed to see his nephew's next actions.

"Hold on, Matt and Jennie," Lee cried waving the makeshift Superman doll in the air as if it were flying. "I'll save you!"

Those words stunned Robert to his core. He'd truly thought that moving to a new locale would be good for Lee and help him to get away from the memories of his parents so that he could begin to heal. "Lee!" he said sharply causing the boy to look up and him with a startled look on his face, Superman dropping to the floor. "Don't you think that's just about enough of that?"

"Y-y-yes, Uncle Bob," Lee stammered. "I-I-I was just pretending."

"Well, there's no use in pretending that some mythical superhero can bring your mother and father back." At seeing his nephew's stricken face, his own softened a bit. He sighed, took Lee by the hand, led him to his bunk, sat down with him and said, "I know you miss them. I miss them too and it's okay to miss them, but you can't keep pretending that they're ever going to come back. Dead is dead and all the pretending in the world can't change that."

Lee hung his head. "I know, but sometimes I just...I just..." He picked up the fallen superhero and held it up for his uncle to see. "I just wish sometimes that superheroes were real and could really save people."

Robert couldn't help smiling at the wishful thinking of the child before him and in looking at his hopeful face, a thought struck him. "What makes you think that they aren't real?" He took the makeshift Superman from him and continued, "Now, I don't mean flying around with capes or some such nonsense like that, but your mom and dad...they died being honest-to-God real-life superheroes."

"Really?" Lee asked his eyes alight.

"Yes, Lee, and those guys out there," He gestured to the window to the training yard outside. "Every one of them has the potential to be a hero too, just like your mom and dad. The things they did when they were alive saved a lot of people from a lot of bad things. And you, you can be a hero too. You remember when Alice gave this to you?" Lee nodded. "She told you that you were **her** Superman, right?"

"Yeah, she did." Lee blushed slightly at the memory of that day and getting his first kiss from a girl he liked.

"That means that you have the potential to be a hero too. You see, Lee, you don't need to fly or have super-strength like Superman here to be a hero like in your comic books. Sometimes being a hero just means doing the right thing and like what you did for Alice, and like we do in the Military, standing up for people who can't stand up for themselves. Do you understand?"

Again, Lee nodded. "But Superman...he's still my favorite hero."

"Why's that, Skip...because he's invincible?"

Lee shook his head. "No, Uncle Bob, because he's an orphan...like me and he always tries to remember how bad that feels and tries to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else. I wanna' be just like that when I grow up."

Bob looked at his nephew in wonder that something so insightful could come from someone so young. At a loss for how to respond, he instead rose and changed the subject. "Listen, they're going to be serving the big Thanksgiving dinner in the mess hall soon. Why don't you put your toys away and get cleaned up so we can head down there together, huh?"

"Yes, Sir," Lee replied obediently as he hopped down from his bunk.

A stab of pain shot through Bob's heart as he watched Lee crawling under the bed for the toy car and he thought of what had put it there. He knew the boy was still having nightmares about a monster with no face, not as often as he was when they were still at Bolling, but he'd had one again last night, though when asked about it, he'd denied it, shrugged it off and said he was fine. He knew deep down that he wasn't though. He was haunted, but he didn't want to share.

He couldn't help wondering if that were his own influence. Was he too hard on the child? God knows he didn't know what the hell he was doing. He reflected back to his nephew's words to him on Father's Day, how he'd told him that he DID have a father. He let out a sigh. What a crock that was. The innocence of youth. Why, he didn't know the first damn thing about how to be a father. All he knew was how to give orders and how to follow them. What did he know about the right way to raise a child?

Not that he'd ever let Lee know that he didn't know what he was doing. No, not ever. He couldn't let him see any weakness in him or he'd never have any respect for him and he had to make him understand that things were different now. They HAD to be. There were dangerous people still out there who would like nothing better than to use his young nephew to exact revenge on his parents out of sheer spite. He couldn't let that happen. He owed it to his brother to keep his living legacy alive and safe from harm and if that meant being a little harder on him that Matthew himself would have been, so be it.

Finished with his task, Lee stood looking questioningly up at his uncle. "Sir?"

"Yes, Lee?"

"Are we gonna' go eat now?"

"Let's go," Bob said as he gestured to the open door and the two made theory way to the mess hall.

As they entered and settled themselves at a table, the calls of "diaper duty" directed toward Bob and Lee were entirely different than they'd been at Bolling. No longer were they the mocking tone directed at the young officer who'd just had custody of his nephew dropped into his lap. Instead, they were of respect and almost reverence as Major Clayton had come to Bainbridge with the reputation of a skilled flight instructor and a man who'd taken on the responsibility of his deceased brother's son who'd died in service to his country because it was his duty and they could all respect and admire that. Of course, none of them knew the true circumstances surrounding Major Matthew Stetson's death, but that was all right.

Before the feast began, Bob rose from his seat and announced, "Now, I don't know what traditions others may have, but growing up with late brother, Matt, we had a family tradition every year that we'd go around the table and each of us would say one thing that we were thankful for before we ate. I know that was a tradition that in the five short years that he had him, my brother passed that on to his son. In that tradition, we always started with the youngest at the table, so I'd like you all to give my nephew, Lee, your undivided attention." He swallowed hard as the memories washed over him and in a choked voice, said, "Go ahead, Lee. Tell us something that you're thankful for."

Lee nodded and thought for a long moment reflecting on their earlier conversation, took a deep breath and replied, "I'm thankful that I have you, Uncle Bob, to be my superhero so I don't have to an orphan anymore."


	4. Not-So-Sweet 16

**AN:** In ARS, Lee made a comment to Amanda about his uncle referring to him as "Diaper Duty" until his 16th birthday so I'm going to be skipping ahead in time here to provide some details of the events surrounding that birthday and what changed to put a stop to it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **Andersen AFB-Guam-June 17, 1966-2330 Hours**

"Lieutenant Colonel Clayton, Lieutenant...Colonel...Clayton," a young airman gasped as he hurried toward his superior. When he caught up to the older man, he took a moment to catch his breath and apologetically stammered, "I-I'm sorry, Sir, but we've looked everywhere and he's-he's just not on the base anywhere."

"Dammit! Where the hell is that kid?" He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing. "And how the hell did he get off this base without anyone noticing?"

The airman who'd now regained his composure, explained, "I think someone did see him. The guard at the gate thinks he remembers a young man who fits his description wearing an airman's uniform leaving about two hours ago in a jeep."

Robert shook his head. "Damn that kid! He's going to drive me to an early grave!"

The younger man shuddered slightly under the angry glare of his commanding officer. "I-I-I'm sorry I don't have better news, Sir."

"It's not your fault," Clayton told him. "It's mine for thinking I could handle diaper duty. Nine years now and I'm still not any better equipped to handle it than I was then. Thank you, Airman. I'll take care of this myself."

An hour later, after gathering information on which jeep was stolen by the license plate and figuring out exactly how his wayward nephew had managed to procure a uniform, and the identity of the airman it belonged to, he set out in search of his charge now that he knew what to look for. Knowing what ID he was looking for gave him a pretty good place to start.

Sure enough when he pulled into the parking lot of the American Legion post, there it was...the stolen jeep he was looking for, but it was empty. He let out a deep sigh. Now, if he could only find the thief. He showed his Air Force ID to the bouncer at the door and entered the smoky room. He took a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting and the loud music playing before scanning the room in search of his quarry.

He soon spotted him in a corner booth, cuddled up with a young girl about the same age and the pair were embroiled in a round of heated necking. He quickly approached the pair, just in time to hear his nephew murmur to the girl, "Best birthday present ever," and her giggling in response.

"And the last birthday present you're ever living to see," the older man growled angrily.

"Oh, shit," Lee swore as he quickly extricated himself from his date's embrace.

"Hey, watch the language. Is that any way to treat a lady?" He gave his nephew a stern look to indicate that he was talking about much more than just the language.

"Oh, come on, we were just-"

"No arguments, Skip," he cut off the teen's protests. "Get up, now! You're coming with me!" When Lee grudgingly rose from the booth, he nodded to the girl. "You too, Young Lady. I'm taking you home."

With one hand on each of their shoulders, he led them out to the entry way where he again encountered the bouncer and paused for a moment to address him, "You and I need to have a serious talk about letting minors in here without a guardian, but now's not the time." He gave the man a warning look. "But don't think I won't be back to address this." He turned his attention back to the two teenagers and barked, "Go!"

"Can't I just-" Lee tried again to appeal to his uncle.

"No, you can't just..." he answered firmly. "What you can do is get your ass in that jeep so we can get your little girlfriend home where she belongs! Now, move it!"

"What about...?" He gestured to the jeep he'd arrived in.

"Oh, no. You don't even have a license yet. I'll send someone to pick it up another time." Lee hung his head and got into the jeep his uncle had arrived in. "Uh-uh," his uncle shook his head. "You let the young lady have the front seat. It's the least you owe her after all this."

Lee nodded and obeyed, clambering into the backseat as his date and his uncle climbed into the front. They were silent all the way to her home and his uncle insisted that Lee stay put while he spoke with the girl's parents, though he did allow him to move to the front seat. Lee watched the ongoing conversation and while he couldn't hear what they were saying, he knew by the way his uncle kept wildly gesturing toward him, that he was in big trouble.

When his uncle returned and they were on their way again, he roared, "The Colonel's daughter! What the hell were you thinking? Did you know she has a midnight curfew or did you even care?"

"You're one to talk about caring," Lee snorted defiantly.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" When Lee didn't answer, he ground out through gritted teeth, repeating his earlier question, "What the hell were you thinking? Stealing a jeep, stealing a uniform, running off with the Colonel's daughter, drinking, driving without a license, all for what? To impress some little girl?"

"No, not just to impress a girl. I was just trying to have a little fun for my birthday. It's not like you cared enough to do anything for me!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about! For your information, Smartass, I had a surprise party planned for you tomorrow so we'd have plenty of time to celebrate since you had school today."

"You did?" Lee questioned, a look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah, coincidentally enough at the Post. I even invited all your friends, but you ruined that with your shenanigans tonight! You don't deserve that party now!"

"Oh come on!"

Robert let out a sigh as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Okay, fine, since the damn thing's already planned, you can still have it, but don't think this is going to go unpunished. You royally screwed up tonight."

"I know," Lee finally confessed. "I was stupid. I just...I just wanted to have some fun."

"Well, I sure hope it was worth it because after this little stunt, you're going to spend the next month in the mess hall with Barney to make up for it. AND I expect you to apologize to Airman Marchand for swiping his uniform once you return it to him cleaned and pressed, you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear ya."

In a cooler tone, his uncle asked, "Can I ask why you did it? And don't give me the line about just wanting to have fun. This was a clear act of rebellion, so why?"

Lee rolled his eyes. "You wanna' know why? 'Cause you still treat me like a little kid. I'm sixteen now and you still call me 'Diaper Duty' to your buddies like I'm still eight years old."

"Well, maybe if you would stop acting like a little kid and use the brain that I know you've got..." It occurred to him that there were other things he needed to seriously discuss with his nephew after seeing the serious make-out session going on at the Legion, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject. "And another thing, we need to have a serious talk about how to treat a lady with respect."

"Is this going to be the birds-and-bees talk?" Lee groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't you think it needs to be?" Robert replied bluntly as he pulled the jeep into the gates of the base and nodded to the guard who let him pass. "I know you're growing up and as you do, I know that your hormones are going crazy, but you need to be careful."

"I know what I'm doing," the young man argued. "Besides, everyone's doing it."

"Do you? Are you ready to be a father? Because that's what could happen if you don't use your head and I mean the one on your shoulders," he stated pointedly. "And I have to disagree with you. I highly doubt everyone's doing it. That old line's been going around since I was your age."

"No kidding?"

"Please," his uncle scoffed as he parked the jeep, shut off the ignition and turned to face his nephew. "Do you think your generation invented teenage sex just because you've got your free love movement? Let me tell you, Kid, it's never free. Now, I don't wanna' know if you're having sex and I'm not going to tell you not to because that would be like telling birds not to fly or fish not to swim. What I will tell you is if you are now or decide to in the future, you'd dammed well better exercise some caution. I just had a rather awkward conversation with your girlfriend's parents, but that's nothing compared with what would happen if you got her pregnant. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, I understand," Lee answered honestly. "But couldn't you at least try to treat me a little more like an adult?"

"I'll tell you what, Son, you start showing me you can be more responsible and I'll do my best. You serve out your sentence for this little escapade and then we'll talk."

"That's fair."

"I'll try to lay off the 'diaper duty' thing too if you'll agree to start seriously looking at college preparation. You've only got two years left to think about it, you know."

Lee let out a groan. "More school?"

"Hey, this is one of the things adults do, Skip. They plan for their future."

"Okay, I'll do it," he reluctantly agreed.

"Good," his uncle responded with a smile, hoping that his nephew really would do what he'd agreed to and that his words to the boy had sunk in. "Now, let's get inside and get you to bed. It's way past your curfew too."


	5. Diaper Duty Redux

**AN:** Another year, another Father's Day.

 **Parker General Hospital, June 18, 1989**

Robert Clayton walked in through the glass doors after having received an urgent message from his nephew. He quickly made his way to the information desk, stated his business succinctly and nodded his thanks to the receptionist before walking onward to his destination.

As he waited for the elevator to take him to his desired floor, he reflected back on all the years he'd spent with his stubborn charge; the moments they were at each other's throats, the moments of comforting one another in their shared grief, and the far-too-few moments of family togetherness. Those lighter moments had begun to occur more often since Lee had found and clung tightly to the love of his wife, Amanda, who reminded him so much of his long-lost sister-in-law, a woman his late brother had loved so much.

He was proud to say that he saw a lot of the same qualities in Lee that he'd known Matthew to have. He was loyal, hard-working, fiercely independent, he was a caring, nurturing stepfather to the two boys he'd taken on and loved as his own, a loving, faithful husband to his wife and dedicated son-in-law to her mother. He sighed as he stepped into the elevator with these thoughts overwhelming him.

He fidgeted nervously in anticipation of what he might find once he reached the end of today's journey. Through all the years and all the memories, both good and bad, that he had shared with his brother's son and everything he thought he knew about the younger man, he'd never have imagined it would have come down to this, had never even thought that it was a possibility.

He took a deep breath as the elevator doors opened on the correct floor before taking a step out and venturing down the corridor in search of his almost-adopted son. He found the nurse's station and asked which direction he needed to go to find the Stetson-King family. Once provided with his desired information, he followed the colored lines along the floor as instructed. He shook his head in annoyance and wondered why these places were always designed to made him feel like Theseus in the labyrinth. Of course, the only monster to be faced would be that of his often-strained relationship with his nephew.

As if reading his thoughts, the man himself appeared out of a room down the corridor. His nephew greeted him with an awkward half-smile and a, "Hey, you made it! I...uh...I wasn't sure you would."

"Of course I made it," he responded as if it wasn't even a question of him doing what was right, doing his duty. "That's what family is supposed to do, isn't it?"

"Right. How could I forget? You _always_ do your duty, don't you?" Lee replied sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, Son, now don't be that way. You know it's more than just that. I came because I care." He gestured to the hospital room. "How's Amanda doing anyway?"

Lee nodded. "She's fine. It was...it was a bit rough there for awhile though," he sighed sadly. "They were...they were worried. She-she lost a lot of blood and they thought-" He swallowed hard unable to continue that thought. "It's my fault. I did that to her. If I hadn't-" He broke off again.

Robert placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and in a consoling tone, explained, "No, Son, you couldn't have predicted what happened. No one could."

"But I could've prevented it from happening," Lee argued. "If only I'd been more careful..."

"But she's okay now, isn't she? Isn't that what matters?"

"Yeah. Yeah, she's going to be just fine. She's just...she's resting now. They said she needs lots of rest to fully recover so I-"

"Come on then." His hand still on Lee's shoulder, he guided him down the corridor past her room. "We'll just let her rest then and I'll see her later. For now, though I want to see what I came to see."

Lee smiled weakly as the two men walked together in silence until they reached their final destination. "There." Lee pointed through the glass.

Robert's gaze shifted the direction his nephew had pointed and looked on with a warm smile at the peacefully-sleeping newborn. "What's her name?"

"Jennifer," Lee choked out. "After Mom."

"As it should be," his uncle acknowledged.

"I wish they could see her, see how perfect she is." He beamed at his newborn daughter.

"What makes you think they can't?"

Lee gaped at him sideways and questioned. "You getting soft on me, Old Man?" He remembered vividly their 'dead is dead' conversation when he was a young boy and was surprised to hear the same man speaking of his deceased parents so differently now.

"Maybe a little. I think old age does that to a man," he answered sheepishly. He nodded toward his great-niece. "She's beautiful, Skip, just like your Amanda."

The younger man turned back to his child with a fond look and agreed, "Yes, she is." As if sensing them watching her, the tiny little girl stretched, yawned and opened her eyes.

"She has your eyes," Robert commented.

"That she does, but everything else, her dark hair, her cute little nose, the shape of her face, that's all Amanda."

"Well, if her personality turns out to be anything like Amanda's, you're going to have your work cut out for you."

Lee let out a hearty laugh. "Oh yeah, just like you did with me."

"It wasn't all bad," the older man replied affectionately as he once again placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. When the newborn let out a loud wail, he laughed and added, "Look, the attitude's already starting."

"I know." His grin grew wider as he watched the infant try to stuff her whole fist into her mouth and her cries subsiding as she began to suck on it. "And I'm okay with that." It didn't even bother him that he'd spent the majority of his birthday the day before having his hand crushed and obscenities hurled at him by his wife while she'd endured the pain of childbirth. By the time that day had rolled into the next, it was all made worth it in seeing his little girl's hazel eyes peering up at him in the pre-dawn hours when he'd held her for the first time just moments after her birth.

"Just so you know, I always was too."

"Yeah?" Lee questioned with a dubious look toward his uncle.

"Yeah, it was hard, but it was worth every minute to see the man you grew up to be. I'm so proud of you, Son, and I just know you're going to be a hell of a lot better father to her than I was to you."

"No," Lee shook his head. "I couldn't be even if I tried. You did everything for me even when you didn't have to, even when you had other choices, but this..." He nodded to his daughter. "This was all my choice...well, and Amanda's, of course. I just hope I make the right ones for her in the future until she's old enough to make her own. That's scarier than any terrorist I've hunted down, any gunfire I've had to dodge, or any life-or-death experience I've ever lived through because it's not just my life anymore."

"It's terrifying, I know. There were so many times when you were growing up that I was scared out of my wits."

"You?" Lee shook his head. "No...no way."

"It's part of parenting and it never gets any easier, but you have something I didn't. You have an experienced mother by your side to help keep you from making the same blunders that I did."

"That I do," he concurred. "But you know, you weren't so bad. Through all of this, I just keep thinking how funny it is that she was born on Father's Day of all days."

"I thought of that too and all the way here, I kept remembering that first Father's Day you and I spent together and that card you made me. That was the first time I realized what a giving heart you had in spite of having it broken when you lost your mom and dad. I have no doubt that you'll be equally as giving to her."

"I'm surprised you remembered that."

"Oh, I still have it tucked away. One of these days when she's old enough, providing I'm still around, that is, I'll share it with her so she can see just how big a heart her daddy has."

"You really are getting soft," Lee teased.

"No, Skip, I'm not. I always have been; I was just always too damned afraid to let you know it. It nearly killed me losing my brother and his wife. If I'd lost you too...I think I'd have lost the only thing I had left worth living for."

"I know the feeling," the younger man sympathized. "I thought I might...I thought I might lose Amanda just hours ago and I-" He swallowed hard in an attempt to get rid of the lump in his throat.

"I understand." He used the hand on Lee's shoulder to give him a comforting squeeze.

"I know you do."

Their moment was interrupted by Phillip's voice behind them. "Is she awake?"

"Can we see her?" Jamie chimed in.

"Yeah, come on guys. Come meet your sister."

Robert stepped back to give the teenage boys room and smiled as he watched the man he'd raised interacting with his family. He happy that Lee had found what he'd always been missing and grateful that he hadn't squandered the opportunity that had been right in front of him. He whispered low, "Have fun now that you're the one on diaper duty."


End file.
